The Drum Major Instinct
Background
Two months before his assassination, Dr. King preached at his home church about the instinct we all carry — “a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade” — and how the only cure for it is to point it at service. In the same sermon he told his congregation what he wanted said at his funeral: that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody. Excerpts were played at his funeral in that very sanctuary two months later.
The sermon remains under the stewardship of the King estate, so the full text and audio live at their official home — linked below and worth every minute.
From the speech
The passage this page exists for:
If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness… Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve… You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.
Go to the source
Read and listen at the King Institute →
The full sermon text and audio at Stanford’s official archive